California Just Keeps on Growing

A surfer looks out at the Pacific Ocean as Morro Rock stands under evening sun on July 8, 2014, in Morro Bay, California. The route of Highway 1 between San Francisco and Los Angeles, which passes through Big Sur, is a popular tourist destination. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

At first glance it would be difficult to think there is a silver lining to a landslide. And I mean a real, geographic landslide, not a political victory by a very large margin. There’s always a silver lining to those.

In fact, a political landslide was responsible for my father’s second term as president.

The landslides that involve earth literally sliding down a mountain or cliff are often disasters featuring widespread devastation, destruction of property, and loss of life. California experienced a landslide last May 20th and residents dodged at least one bullet, or clod as it were.

The Associated Press reports 1 million tons of rock and soil "slipped down a saturated slope in the Mud Creek area" and covered a portion of the state’s "iconic" Highway 1. Jonathan Warrick of the U.S. Geological Survey told AP a quarter-mile section of the highway was buried 80 feet deep at the point with the largest amount of slipped earth.

No one was killed or injured, which is fortunate since California will need all the healthy taxpayers it can get to pay for the multimillion dollar clean up of the highway that is estimated to last more than a year.

So what is this good news or sliver lining I referred to previously? Think of it this way, in a time when Al "The Prophet" Gore warns of rising sea levels due to "global warming," coast watchers complain of an eroding shoreline and Dr. Chicken Little wails about what will happen now that Trump has withdrawn from the Paris Climate accord: California just added 13 acres of shoreline with an outstanding ocean view!

For those apartment dwellers, high rise denizens and hopelessly urban readers unfamiliar with the size of an acre the new landmass is about the size of ten football fields. Just think what a developer could do with a new landmass that size in the Big Sur area: New houses, apartments, resorts or yoga retreats conveniently located on Highway 1!

Kevin Schmidt, another USGS scientist, observed, "It has been a number of decades since something this large increased our land mass."

Unfortunately, since the new landmass is unstable and not compact it probably will only last a few years before the Pacific reclaims the area. In the meantime you can take the family and see the result of the landslide for yourself. It’s your chance to tell the kids the real estate agent was wrong — sometimes Mother Nature does make more land.

Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker’s bureau. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.